Michael Jackson film earns $217m in opening weekend, breaks biopic records
The new movie Michael, based on the life of Michael Jackson, has made a huge impact at the box office. Even though it faced controversy, negative reviews, and production problems, the film still earned an impressive $217 million worldwide in its opening weekend. Out of this total, $97 million came from North America alone.
Michael is a big-budget film that tells the story of the famous pop star. It had a strong opening in cinemas across North America, where it made $97 million. This helped push its total global earnings to $217 million, making it the biggest opening ever for a biographical film. It broke previous records and surprised many people in the film industry.
Internationally, the movie earned $120.4 million, while its domestic (North American) earnings reached $97 million. Together, these numbers beat the opening weekend totals of other popular biopics like Oppenheimer, which made $180.4 million globally in 2023, and Bohemian Rhapsody, which made $124 million in 2018.
The film has already been released in most parts of the world. However, it has not yet opened in Japan, where Michael Jackson has a very large fan base. The movie is expected to be released there in June, which could further increase its total earnings.
In North America, Michael also broke records for biopics. Its $97 million opening weekend was higher than other well-known films in the same category. For example, Oppenheimer earned $82 million, Straight Outta Compton made $60.2 million, and Bohemian Rhapsody opened with $51 million. This shows how strong the interest in Michael has been, despite the challenges it faced before release.
Critics have not been very kind to the film. Many reviewers said that it avoids or softens some of the more difficult parts of Michael Jackson’s life. On the review website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a critics’ score of just 38%. However, general audiences have reacted very differently. The audience score is much higher at 97%, showing that viewers are enjoying the film even if critics are not.
Before its release, early predictions suggested that the movie might earn around $50 million in North America during its opening weekend. Later estimates increased to $70 million. In the end, the film performed far better than expected, reaching $97 million. This strong performance surprised many analysts.
Adam Fogelson, the chairman of Lionsgate, said that the studio had seen signs that the film could be successful. He explained that there was strong interest from many different types of audiences. According to him, people from all backgrounds seemed excited about the movie, which helped drive ticket sales.
Making a film about Michael Jackson was always a risky decision. While he is one of the most famous musicians in history, his life has also been surrounded by controversy. Jackson, who died in 2009 at the age of 50, faced repeated allegations of child sexual abuse during his lifetime. He denied these claims, and his estate continues to defend him. In 2005, he was found not guilty in his only criminal trial. However, he did admit that he sometimes shared his bedroom with children, which added to public concern.
Not everyone in Jackson’s family supported the film. His sister, Janet Jackson, was not involved in the project and does not appear in the movie. His daughter, Paris Jackson, criticised the film and described it as unrealistic.
The production of Michael was also difficult. After filming was completed, the producers realised they had made a serious mistake. The final part of the movie included the story of Jordan Chandler, a boy who accused Jackson of abuse in the early 1990s. Jackson later paid $23 million to settle the case in 1994. However, the agreement included a rule that the Jackson estate could not mention Chandler in any film.
Because of this, a large part of the movie had to be removed. The filmmakers had to reshoot major scenes, which reportedly cost up to $50 million. Director Antoine Fuqua and writer John Logan changed the story so that it ends in 1988, before any of these accusations took place.
Despite these problems, the studio said they were not panicking. Adam Fogelson described the situation as “unique and challenging,” rather than a crisis. In the end, the film’s success at the box office shows that the extra effort may have paid off.
The total production cost of Michael was close to $200 million. To help reduce financial risk, Lionsgate sold the international distribution rights to another studio. This allowed them to recover some of the costs before the movie was even released.
Because of its strong performance, the studio is already planning a sequel. There is also a possibility of a third film in the future. Antoine Fuqua has said that he would like to direct the sequel himself and would be disappointed if someone else took over the project.
Some of the scenes that were removed from the film may still be used in future projects. Fuqua said that the team filmed more material than they could include, including scenes related to later events in Jackson’s life. This unused footage could be added to future films.
The idea of making a Michael Jackson biopic has been discussed for many years. Plans were first announced in 2012. Interest in Jackson’s life increased again after the release of Leaving Neverland, a documentary that focused on abuse allegations against him. The film’s director, Dan Reed, has criticised the new biopic, saying it ignores serious issues.
Even with these debates, music biopics remain very popular. Bohemian Rhapsody, about the band Queen, is still the highest-earning music biopic ever, with $910 million worldwide. Meanwhile, Oppenheimer holds the record for the highest-grossing biopic overall, with $975 million.
Now, Michael has joined this group of successful films with a record-breaking opening. Its future performance will depend on how audiences continue to respond and how it performs in markets like Japan. For now, it has proven that even a controversial story can attract large audiences if there is enough interest and curiosity.
In simple terms, Michael has overcome many challenges to become a major box office success. Despite criticism and production issues, the film has connected strongly with audiences and set a new record for biopics.
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